Melba At The Savoy | The Northbank BID Melba At The Savoy April 16, 2015 Melba At The Savoy has opened as the new gourmet take-away counter on the Strand. London smoothest coffee and tastiest eclairs - your newest daily essential! The menu at Melba is created by executive pastry chef, Ludwig Hely, and designed to cater for the ever-increasing footfall along the Strand with the finest, gourmet take-away experience in the Northbank area. The menu includes: Comté and Black Forest ham croissant; apricot and almond Danish pastry; orange peel and dark chocolate pain au chocolat; jarred breakfasts; fruit salad and British sandwich classics, with prices ranging from £1.50 to £5.25. Hely opens the take-away counter with The Savoy’s new signature item; éclairs, which he has chosen in recognition of his French roots and own childhood memories.

Launching with a dozen sweet combinations, the éclairs will change seasonally and include flavours such as: passion fruit and milk chocolate; lychee, rose and raspberry; lemon meringue; salted caramel; cherry and pistachio, and Melba – the gourmet counter’s namesake – each priced at £2.95. Hely wanted to produce a signature luxury item that is currently under-represented on the London food scene, but has the versatility to be served as a treat with coffee, or presented as a decadent gift box selection; “The éclair presents so much opportunity to be creative,” said Hely “As a child it was only about a simple, coffee éclair and now as a pastry chef I can play with different flavours, some classic and some more unusual, while also being artistic with the presentation. The ultimate goal is to create something that will make people smile.” But Hely’s beautiful éclair creations are not his only painstakingly hand-crafted items; the Normandy butter croissant went through over five incarnations until it was good enough for him to place on the menu. The same can be said of the sweet tarts, which come in five flavours and are priced at £3.50 each.

Melba at The Savoy is the ninth food and beverage outlet at The Savoy, a Fairmont Managed Hotel. Located directly on the Strand at the corner of Savoy Court, the gourmet counter will be open seven days a week and offer a selection of pastries, sandwiches and hot and cold beverages to take away, along with gift items and an extensive selection of a new Savoy signature; éclairs. Following three weeks of intensive barista training, the staff of Melba serves Musetti espresso which offers guests a smooth, velvety coffee in both selections of hot and cold beverages. Priding themselves on a unique blend and exceptional roast quality, Milan-based Musetti have been trading their coffee across the continents, for over 70 years. As well as the usual hot and iced beverages such as cappuccino, latte and Americano, the take-away drinks menu offers a signature blend of Melba Coffee, which laces a silky Musetti espresso and milk drink with peach syrup. Beverages are priced from £1.50 to £3.10.

Design Occupying a footprint of 25 m sq, Melba was designed by Dolman Bowles whose past clientele include Fenwick Bond Street and Selfridges. Using accents of the art deco era and Edwardian period, evident throughout the hotel, the gourmet counter is a striking and elegant juxtaposition to the existing shops on the Strand. The design of Melba is clearly defined by The Savoy’s recent restoration and incorporates the same striking black and white marble flooring, with hand-carved woodwork interiors and grey Italian marble counter tops. The branding for Melba at The Savoy is designed by Pentagram, the company who were behind the redesign of The Savoy identity upon re-opening in 2010. Taking inspiration from the shop’s signature éclairs, the logo font fills long sleek lines with curved edges at a 45 degree angle, with a colour palette of peach, black and cream. What’s in a name?

Melba at The Savoy is named in honour of two greats: in the late 1800s, The Savoy’s executive chef was so enchanted by hotel guest Dame Nellie Melba after seeing her operatic performance at the Royal Opera House, that he created menu items in her name which have become cherished the world-over. Extolled for over 100 years both in the industry and public eye, Auguste Escoffier (executive chef at The Savoy from 1890) created Peach Melba and Melba toast for the singer while working at The Savoy.

Opening hours: 06:30 until 19:30 Monday to Friday, 07:30 until 19:30 on Saturdays and 09:00 until 19:00 on Sundays The menu will change on a seasonal basis and can be viewed at: The Savoy’s nine food and beverage outlets are: American Bar, Beaufort Bar, Kaspar’s Seafood Bar & Grill, Knight’s Bar, Melba at The Savoy, Savoy Grill (managed by Gordon Ramsay Holdings), Savoy Tea, Simpson’s-In-The-Strand and Thames Foyer Melba at The Savoy, Luxury Dining - The Savoy, London Melba at The Savoy E-Postcards Melba at The Savoy Located directly on the Strand at the corner of Savoy Court, this beautiful shop is The Savoy's take-away, gourmet counter. Open seven days a week, the menu at Melba is created by our fabulous executive pastry chef, Ludwig Hely. You will find a selection of sweet and savoury pastries, British sandwich classics, hot and cold beverages to take away, along with Savoy gift items and an extensive selection of a new hotel signature item...

éclairs. Melba at The Savoy is named in honour of two greats: in the late 1800s, one Savoy executive chef was so enchanted by Savoy guest and Australian operatic soprano, Dame Nellie Melba, that he created menu items which have become cherished the world-over. Extolled for over 100 years both in the public and industry eye, Auguste Escoffier created both Peach Melba and Melba toast for the singer. The gourmet counter is a striking and elegant juxtaposition to the existing shops on the Strand, and complement to The Savoy’s existing collection of food and beverage outlets. Melba’s interior design clearly defined by The Savoy’s restoration and incorporates the same striking black and white marble flooring, with hand-carved woodwork interiors and grey Italian marble counter tops. Hours of Operation Peach Melba Desserts Peach Melba The original version of Peach Melba is a peach, halved, poached and skinned, then sliced, sprinkled with sugar and cooled. A raspberry sauce is made with the seeds strained out, sweetened and then chilled.

Ice cream is put into a serving dish, the sliced peaches are arranged on top, then the dessert is drizzled with the raspberry sauce. More modern versions usually halve the peaches instead of slicing them, and sometimes poach them in a sugar syrup. History Notes Peach Melba was created by the chef Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846 - 1935) for Nellie Melba, the singer. In the 1892/1893 music hall season in London, Melba was staying at the Savoy Hotel, where Escoffier was chef. She knew Escoffier, and sent him a pair of tickets to come see her in Lohengrin. In the opera, there was an impressive swan boat. The next night after dinner at the hotel, Escoffier served Melba a dessert of poached peaches served on ice cream in a dish set on a swan carved out of ice. At the time, he called it "Pecheau Cygne" (Peach Swan.) A few years later, Escoffier and César Ritz opened the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in London.

There, Escoffier added a sauce of puréed raspberries to the dish, and renamed it to Pêche Melba. Escoffier insisted that the dish used to serve Peach Melba in be silver. Melba Toast was also named in Melba's honour. See also: Origins of Melba Toast and Peach Melba : snopes.com Claim: Melba toast and peach melba were named for an opera singer. TRUE Origins: Various foodstuffs have been named for famous people (e.g., Beef Wellington for the Duke of Wellington, victor over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo; Pavlova, a meringue dessert, for the ballerina Anna Pavlova; Oysters Rockefeller for oilman John D. Rockefeller), but one figure is extraordinary for having four foods so christened in her honor. Dame Nellie Melba (19 May 1861 to 23 February 1931), arguably the most famous opera singer of the late Victorian Era, reigned over London's Covent Garden for 37 years.

Born Helen Porter Mitchell into a musical family in Victoria, Australia, she took the stage name Nellie Melba as a tribute to Melbourne, the hometown of her teen years. This soprano, whose life was anything but ordinary, has been the subject of at least five published biographies, two films, and a television mini-series. At the age of 21, and well before she began her career as an opera singer, she became the wife of a British nobleman whose family had effectively exiled him to Australia due to his drinking and hellraising. Unsurprisingly, that marriage quickly fell apart and the couple separated within their first tempestuous year of togetherness; they reconciled briefly a few years later when the singer's father moved to London and insisted his daughter, son-in-law, and their child accompany him, but that rapprochement also did not last long. In 1890, the couple's son, George, went to live with his father at the age of 10 when Melba's ongoing affair with Philippe, Duke of Orleans (the heir of the Bourbon pretender to the French throne) became public knowledge.

Melba and her husband quietly divorced in 1900, and the soprano did not see her son again until he was an adult. Melba was a shrewd businesswoman who drove a very hard bargain and reputedly also anything but a joy to work with, a woman who disparaged those she shared a stage with. Yet she possessed an incomparable voice, and during her career graced some of the world's premier opera houses with performances at La Scala, the Metropolitan, and Covent Garden, to name just a few. Nellie Melba loved to eat and throughout her career struggled with controlling her weight, a circumstance which led to an unsubstantiated bit of lore about melba toast's owing its origins to a mistake made by the kitchens of London's fabled Savoy Hotel: While a guest there and on yet another of her reducing diets, Melba supposedly asked for some dry toast, but the bread arrived overtoasted, thin, and crunchy. Nonetheless, and much to the surprise of those who knew the volatile diva, she happily tucked into the substandard toast instead of pitching it at the waiter's head, prompting the maître d' of that establishment to christen the concoction in her honor.

The more likely explanation, however, is that melba toast was deliberately created for Melba by Auguste Escoffier, the legendary cook at the Savoy, either to aid the singer in her constant quest to maintain her weight or as the kind offering of a friend in response to a bout of illness the soprano suffered in 1897 which rendered her temporarily unable to tolerate more typical foodstuffs. Escoffier also fashioned the dessert known as peach melba (poached peaches, raspberry sauce, and ice cream) for her, prompting another unsubstantiated bit of culinary lore: Legend has it that the creation of peach melba was prompted by the singer's concern that too much ice cream would harm her vocal cords; by making the frozen confection merely part of the dish rather than the whole of the item, Escoffier avoided that disastrous potentiality. The Savoy's renowned chef also produced two lesser known food creations named in Nellie Melba's honor: Melba sauce (a sweet purée of raspberries and redcurrant), and Melba garniture (tomatoes stuffed with chicken, truffles, and mushrooms in a rich white sauce).

Melba died in 1931 at the age of 69 of septicemia (blood poisoning). While some accounts of the soprano's life attribute her fatal illness to facial surgery (most commonly reported to have been a face lift) the singer underwent in Europe some weeks before, other accounts dispute that claim, pointing to the five-month span between the surgery and her death. Dame Nellie's voice lives on through recordings of some of her performances, and her image adorns the face of the Australian $100 banknote. Barbara "there is nothing like a dame" Mikkelson Additional information: Melba: The Savoy’s gourmet take-away on The Strand - Hospitality & Catering News Hospitality & Catering News Melba: The Savoy’s gourmet take-away on The Strand April 16, 2015 Melba at The Savoy opens this week as the ninth food and beverage outlet at The Savoy, a Fairmont Managed Hotel.

Located directly on the Strand at the corner of Savoy Court, the gourmet counter will be open seven days a week and offer a selection of pastries, sandwiches and hot and cold beverages to take away, along with gift items and an extensive selection of a new Savoy signature: éclairs. Food and Beverage The menu at Melba is created by executive pastry chef, Ludwig Hely, and designed to cater for the ever-increasing footfall along the Strand, offering the finest, gourmet take-away experience in the Northbank area. The menu includes: Comté and Black Forest ham croissant; apricot and almond Danish pastry; orange peel and dark chocolate pain au chocolat; jarred breakfasts; fruit salad and British sandwich classics, with prices ranging from £1.50 to £5.25. Eclairs Hely opens the take-away counter with The Savoy’s new signature item – éclairs – which he has chosen in recognition of his French roots and own childhood memories.

Launching with a dozen sweet combinations, the éclairs will change seasonally and include flavours such as: passion fruit and milk chocolate; lychee, rose and raspberry; lemon meringue; salted caramel; cherry and pistachio, and Melba – the gourmet counter’s namesake – each priced at £2.95. Hely wanted to produce a signature luxury item that is currently under-represented on the London food scene, but has the versatility to be served as a treat with coffee, or presented as a decadent gift box selection. “The éclair presents so much opportunity to be creative,” said Hely “As a child it was only about a simple, coffee éclair and now as a pastry chef I can play with different flavours, some classic and some more unusual, while also being artistic with the presentation. The ultimate goal is to create something that will make people smile.” But Hely’s beautiful éclair creations are not his only painstakingly hand-crafted items: the Normandy butter croissant went through over five incarnations until it was good enough for him to place on the menu. The same can be said of the sweet tarts, which come in five flavours and are priced at £3.50 each.

Musetti espresso Following three weeks of intensive barista training, the staff of Melba serves Musetti espresso which offers guests a smooth, velvety coffee in both selections of hot and cold beverages. Priding themselves on a unique blend and exceptional roast quality, Milan-based Musetti have been trading their coffee across the continents, for over 70 years. As well as the usual hot and iced beverages such as cappuccino, latte and Americano, the take-away drinks menu offers a signature blend of Melba Coffee, which laces a silky Musetti espresso and milk drink with peach syrup. Beverages are priced from £1.50 to £3.10. Design Occupying a footprint of 25 m sq, Melba was designed by Dolman Bowles whose past clientele include Fenwick Bond Street and Selfridges. Using accents of the art deco era and Edwardian period, evident throughout the hotel, the gourmet counter is a striking and elegant juxtaposition to the existing shops on the Strand. The design of Melba is clearly defined by The Savoy’s recent restoration and incorporates the same striking black and white marble flooring, with hand-carved woodwork interiors and grey Italian marble counter tops.

What’s in a name? Melba at The Savoy is named in honour of two greats: in the late 1800s, The Savoy’s executive chef was so enchanted by hotel guest Dame Nellie Melba, after seeing her operatic performance at the Royal Opera House, that he created menu items in her name which have become cherished the world-over. Extolled for over 100 years both in the industry and public eye, Auguste Escoffier created Peach Melba and Melba toast for the singer while working at The Savoy. For more information click here Email Newsletter Melba Toast Melba Toast Melba Toast © Denzil Green Melba Toast is a piece of bread toasted, then cut in half and toasted again so that it is very thin, brittle and crisp. Commercial Melba Toast is rectangular. Melba Wafers Melba Wafers were biscuits made in Australia by Swallow & Ariell in Melbourne Australia. They may no longer be in production. Cooking Tips To make, toast a piece of thin bread lightly. Remove from toaster and while still warm, slice it into two thin halves right down the middle -- that is, split the piece of bread in two.

With a knife, scrap off and discard all the loose doughy bread on both exposed sides. Toast the two pieces again just until the edges begin to curl. Watch it carefully, as it will burn quickly at this stage. History Notes Melba Toast may have first been called "Toast Marie". Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846 - 1935), was a friend of César Ritz, the hotel magnate. In the mid to late 1880s, he was chef at the Savoy in London and César Ritz was the manager (Ritz would open the Paris Ritz a year later, in 1898). César's wife, Marie, was explaining how toast never seemed to be thin enough for her. Escoffier came up with what we now call Melba Toast for her. In 1897, Nellie Melba was staying at the Savoy Hotel in London. She was apparently not feeling well (a diva's prerogative, after all) and was on a diet that included toast. Escoffier presented her with "Toast Marie" to tempt the ailing diva to eat something.

She loved it, and he renamed it after her. Marie Ritz didn't appear to mind -- after all, like her husband she was a businesswoman, too (she managed the Ritz in Paris after César died in 1918). Nellie Melba (19 May 1861 - 23 February 1931) was an Australian opera diva. Her real name was Helen Porter Mitchell. She got her stage name of "Melba" from "Melbourne", her home town in Australia. She was a superstar of her time; many other things were named after her, including Peach Melba. She began studying opera in Paris in 1886 -- at a time when she was already married with children. She adopted the stage name a year later, in 1887. She was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1918. She died 1931, aged 69, in Sydney, Australia, of septicemia (bacteria in the blood) brought on by an unsuccessful face lift.

Literature & Lore The phrase "Melba toast" is often used to describe something bland and uninteresting, owing to the taste of boxed, commercial Melba Toast. See also: History of Peach Melba | Vue Weekly History of Peach Melba Peach Melba is one of the most famous of classical desserts and is named after Australian soprano, Nellie Melba. One of her greatest fans was French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier who in 1892 created the first thin, dried toasted wafers and named them Melba Toast in her honour. Two years later, Nellie Melba performed at Covent Garden in London and stayed at the Savoy Hotel, where Escoffier was executive chef. She sent him a pair of tickets to her performance of Lohengrin. Escoffier was deeply moved by the gesture and created a commemorative dessert of peaches and vanilla ice cream. It was adorned with an incredible ice sculpture of a swan, depicting the swan-boat featured in Melba’s opera.

Escoffier named the dessert “Peach with Swan.” Several years later, at the opening of the new Ritz Carlton Hotel in London, he enhanced the dessert by adding a raspberry puree. The sauce was a practical replacement for the ice sculpture. Escoffier re-named the dessert “Peche Melba”, or “Peach Melba” in honour of the performer who now has two famous foods named after her. Blanche ripe peaches in a pot of boiling water (one per person). Immediately place them in ice water, drain and remove their skins. Slice the skinless peaches into very thin wedges, sprinkle with sugar and chill in the refrigerator. Prepare a raspberry sauce by straining ripe raspberries through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Add powdered sugar to the resulting puree. Some add just a little cognac or raspberry liqueur, although this is not part of the original recipe. Chill the sauce. Serve the thinly sliced peaches over vanilla ice cream, cover with the raspberry sauce and sprinkle a little more powdered sugar. Many restaurants now layer ice cream, peaches and sauce in clear glass goblets or dessert glasses.

January 13, 2012 at 12:38 pm · Filed under Food Holidays/History/Facts , Fruits, Nuts & Seeds , Ice Cream/Sorbet/Yogurt Peach Melba (its original title was in French, Pêche Melba) was created in the summer of 1892 at the Savoy Hotel, London by the the great French chef Auguste Escoffier . It honored the renowned Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (Escoffier also created Melba toast for her). The dish combined two summer fruits, peaches and raspberries, with vanilla ice cream. Escoffier poached the peach and topped it with ice cream and raspberry purée. Essentially, it’s an ice cream sundae with poached peaches. But the original Pêche Melba was a bit more elaborate. At the time, Dame Nellie was performing in Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin , at Covent Garden. She was the guest of honor at a dinner party hosted by the Duke of Orléans at the Savoy. For the party, Escoffier displayed the dessert in a swan ice sculpture.

In the opera, the knight Lohengrin arrives and departs in a boat pulled by swans. Here, the ice swan held a bed of vanilla ice cream topped with peaches and spun sugar. Needless to say, the dessert was the talk of the town—or at least, that portion of town interested in opera and Escoffier. In 1900, for the opening of the Carlton Hotel in London, Escoffier created an easier version of the dessert. He ditched the ice swan and topped the peaches with raspberry purée. Light yet delicious, Pêche Melba became a classic dessert. The question is, why is National Peach Melba Day in January, when fresh peaches are out of season? Fresh raspberries are almost always available and you can use canned or frozen peaches, although to do so counters the wisdom of eating seasonally. Frozen peaches, are a good substitute. But celebrate we will, by poaching some Dole frozen peach slices. We actually prefer the slices to Escoffier’s half-peach “cap” atop the ice cream.

PEACH MELBA RECIPE Elegant as it sounds, Pêche Melba or Peach Melba is an ice cream sundae with raspberry sauce and peaches, instead of hot fudge and whipped cream or other current favorite. Ingredients For The Poached Peaches You can substitute frozen peaches when fresh ones are out of season. 2 cups water 3/4 cup dry or sweet white wine 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cinnamon stick snapped in half Zest of one lemon 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns 6 peaches (makes 12 portions, but the poached peaches can be enjoyed the next day as seconds, plain, or with extra raspberry purée or the delicious poaching liquid, atop pancakes, etc. Opera, Escoffier, and Peaches: The Story of the Peach Melba | PBS Food Tori Avey | August 22, 2012 On her website ToriAvey.com , Tori Avey explores the story behind the food – why we eat what we eat, how the recipes of different cultures have evolved, and how yesterday’s recipes can inspire us in the kitchen today. Learn more about Tori and The History Kitchen .

The Peach Melba The Peach Melba is one of the most famous and beloved desserts in the world. This creamy and cool dish – a simple and classic preparation of vanilla ice cream, sugary peaches, and raspberry sauce – has graced restaurant menus for decades. While many people are familiar with this delectable dessert, few know the story behind the dish. It all starts with famed French chef Auguste Escoffier and his friendship with an Australian opera singer named Nellie Melba. First, let’s meet Nellie, who was born Helen “Nellie” Porter Mitchell in Richmond, Victoria – a suburb of Melbourne, Australia – on May 19, 1861. Nellie was the eldest of several children in a music-loving family. Her father, David Mitchell, was a successful building contractor and brickmaker. Nellie’s mother, Isabella, played several instruments, and served as Nellie’s first music teacher. Nellie was a tomboyish child with a fondness for whistling. She first sang in public at the age of eight, in December 1869, in the new Richmond town hall.

She was the youngest to perform in a community concert for 700 spectators as part of the town hall’s grand opening. Nellie sang three songs, accompanying herself on the piano, to the delight of the audience. Local reporters wrote enthusiastically about her performance, saying she was a “gem,” “incomparable,” and “a musical prodigy,” giving an early glimpse of the success on Nellie’s horizon. Nellie Melba, her father David Mitchell, and her niece Nellie Patterson. Source: Library of Congress Nellie received her early education at a boarding school in Richmond. As a young lady she enrolled in the Presbyterian Ladies College, where she studied piano and voice. Around the time of her mother’s death in 1880, Nellie left school and moved to Queensland with her father. There she met her husband, Charles Nisbett Frederick Armstrong. They married in 1882 and had a son, George. Their early time together was short-lived; Nellie became depressed by her husband’s angry temper, as well as the area’s harsh tropical climate and constant rain.

In 1884, taking her son and a few possessions, she left her husband for Melbourne in hopes of pursuing a serious musical career. She and her husband would reconnect sporadically over the next few years, till they eventually divorced in 1900. Dame Nellie Melba in costume. Source: Library of Congress Nellie sang her way from Melbourne to Sydney, making a name for herself in the city as an operatic soprano. She then headed to London, where she made the connections necessary for pursuing a career in earnest. In 1886 she began performing in concerts organized by Wilhelm Ganz, a singing professor at the Guildhall School of Music. Though she found some success in London, she felt her career was not progressing quickly enough. A patron from Melbourne had written Nellie a letter of introduction to famed German mezzo-soprano, Mathilde Marchesi. Nellie traveled to Paris to meet Madame Marchesi, who agreed to take her on as a singing pupil and would end up having a great influence on Nellie’s career.

In fact, Marchesi is responsible for convincing Nellie to take the stage name Nellie Melba—Melba deriving from her home city of Melbourne. After many years of study and countless hours pounding pavement, Nellie’s operatic debut finally came in 1887 in Brussels, as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Nellie Melba in costume, circa 1896. Source: Library of Congress Over time Nellie gained great popularity, singing in principal opera houses in Europe and the United States, most notably Covent Garden in London and New York’s Metropolitan Opera. She was well-known in high-society circles, and was asked to perform for important figures including Tsar Alexander III, Emperor Franz Joseph and Queen Victoria. She was the Edwardian equivalent of a major celebrity; when she appeared in public, crowds fought for her attention. It was in London, while performing at Covent Garden, that Nellie became acquainted with Escoffier.

The legendary French chef was known and respected worldwide for his innovative, imaginative dishes and “haute cuisine.” During the late 1800s, Escoffier partnered with César Ritz (of Ritz Carlton fame), and made a name for himself as the head chef of the restaurants located inside the famous Ritz hotels. His food was known for being elaborate and fancy—what we might describe today as being “typically French.” His 11-course meals were sauce-heavy, often including smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and Beef Wellington. They became the trademark of indulgence and wealth. Many of his creations were named for the star patrons of his restaurants…which, of course, brings us to the Peach Melba. A portrait of the legendary French chef, Auguste Escoffier. Source: Wikimedia Commons Nellie Melba often ate at Escoffier’s restaurants while performing in Covent Garden during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Escoffier claims to have first created the Peach Melba while Nellie was a guest at the Savoy Hotel, where he was chef.

As the story goes, Nellie sent Escoffier tickets to her performance in the Wagner opera Lohengrin. The production featured a beautiful boat in the shape of a swan. The following evening, Escoffier presented Nellie with a dessert of fresh peaches served over vanilla ice cream in a silver dish perched atop a swan carved from ice. He originally called the dish Pecheau Cygne, or “peach with a swan.” A few years later, when Escoffier opened the Ritz Carlton in London with César Ritz, he changed the dish slightly by adding a topping of sweetened raspberry purée. He renamed the dish Pêche Melba, or Peach Melba as we know it here in the U.S. The rest, as they say, is history. Melba toast was also named after Dame Nellie… but that’s another story, for a future post. For now, I would like to share Escoffier’s original recipe for the Peach Melba, broken down into simple steps from his autobiography, Memories of My Life.

Escoffier swore by the simplicity of his original dish; as the Peach Melba became more popular, he scoffed at the numerous variations that spread throughout the restaurant community. In his words, “Pêche Melba is a simple dish made up of tender and very ripe peaches, vanilla ice cream, and a purée of sugared raspberry. Any variation on this recipe ruins the delicate balance of its taste.” Here is the original recipe for the Peach Melba, translated to English from Escoffier’s own words: Original Recipe for La Pêche Melba (for 6) Choose 6 tender and perfectly ripe peaches. The Montreuil peach, for example, is perfect for this dessert. Blanch the peaches for 2 seconds in boiling water, remove them immediately with a slotted spoon, and place them in iced water for a few seconds. Peel them and place them on a plate, sprinkle them with a little sugar, and refrigerate them. Prepare a liter of very creamy vanilla ice cream and a purée of 250 grams of very fresh ripe raspberries crushed through a fine sieve and mixed with 150 grams of powdered sugar. Refrigerate.

To serve: Fill a silver timbale with the vanilla ice cream. Delicately place the peaches on top of the ice cream and cover with the raspberry purée. Optionally, during the almond season, one can add a few slivers of fresh almonds on top, but never use dried almonds. The recipe is, as Escoffier promised, quite simple. When made as written, the simple, natural flavors really shine. I have reproduced the recipe below with clear step-by-step instructions and American measurement equivalents. The only step I have added to the original recipe is to give the peaches a quick soak in water with a touch of lemon juice… this will help keep the peeled peaches from turning brown and oxidizing as they chill. If you don’t mind the peaches browning a bit, feel free to skip this optional step. While I did not have a silver timbale for serving, the dish makes a lovely presentation in glass, too. Make this dessert with the succulent, ripe seasonal peaches that fill our markets now, and prepare to be amazed. A true Peach Melba is something very special, indeed.

Escoffier’s Peach Melba Delight in the original Peach Melba recipe, as translated from Escoffier's words. Learn the fascinating history of this Summer treat with Tori Avey's full story in The History Kitchen . Ingredients 1 ½ pints vanilla ice cream (fresh homemade is best) 1 heaping cup fresh ripe raspberries 1 heaping cup powdered sugar 6 tbsp blanched raw almond slivers (optional) Directions Boil a medium pot of water. Keep a large bowl of ice water close by. Gently place a peach into the boiling water. Let the peach simmer for 15-20 seconds, making sure all surfaces of the peach are submerged. Remove the peach from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge it into the ice water for a few seconds to cool. Take the peach out of the ice water and place it on a plate. Repeat the process for the remaining peaches. When all of the peaches have been submerged, peel them. Their skin should come off easily if they are ripe, thanks to the short boiling process. Discard the skins. Halve the peeled peaches and discard the pits.

Optional Step: Place the peeled peaches in a large bowl of cold water mixed with 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice or ascorbic acid powder. Let the peach halves soak for 10 minutes. Drain off the water and gently pat the peach halves dry with a paper towel. This step will help to keep the peaches from oxidizing and turning brown. Sprinkle the peach halves with sugar on all exposed surfaces. Place them on a plate in a single layer, then place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill. Meanwhile, make the raspberry purée. Place the raspberries into a blender and pulse for a few seconds to create a purée. Strain purée into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on the solid ingredients and agitating the mixture with a metal spoon to extract as much syrupy juice as possible. It will take a few minutes to extract all of the juice from the solids. When finished, you should only have seeds and a bit of pulp left in the strainer. Dispose of the solids. Sift the powdered sugar into the raspberry purée, adding a little powdered sugar at a time, and whisking in stages till the sugar is fully incorporated into the syrup.

It will take several minutes of vigorous whisking to fully integrate the powdered sugar into the syrup. Refrigerate the raspberry syrup for 1 hour, or until chilled. Assemble six serving dishes. Scoop ½ cup of vanilla ice cream into each serving dish. Place two of the sugared peach halves on top of each serving of ice cream. Divide the raspberry sauce between the six dishes, drizzling the sauce over the top of the peaches and ice cream. Top each serving with a tablespoon of raw almond slivers, if desired. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings Research Sources Blainey, Ann (2009). Marvelous Melba: The Extraordinary Life of a Great Diva. Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, IL. Escoffier, Auguste – translated by Escoffier, Laurence (1997). Memories of My Life. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY. Herbst, Ron and Sharon Tyler (2009). The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, NY. Smith, Andrew F. (2007). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.

Oxford University Press, New York, New York. You can uncover more fascinating food history on Tori’s website: The History Kitchen . Meet the Author Tori Avey is a food writer, recipe developer, and the creator of ToriAvey.com . She explores the story behind the food – why we eat what we eat, how the foods of different cultures have evolved, and how yesterday’s food can inspire us in the kitchen today. Tori’s food writing and photography have appeared on the websites of CNN, Bon Appetit, Zabar’s, Williams-Sonoma, Yahoo Shine, LA Weekly and The Huffington Post. Follow Tori on Facebook: Tori Avey , Twitter: @toriavey , or Google +. MasterChef's Kim Woodward is first woman to run London's Savoy Grill | Daily Mail Online comments Momentous: Kim Woodward is the first woman to be appointed head chef at the Savoy Grill A former MasterChef semi-finalist has become the first woman to run the prestigious Savoy Grill kitchen in its 126-year history. Kim Woodward has been appointed head chef at the famous venue, which has hosted lunches for the likes of prime ministers, musicians and captains of industry for decades.

The 34-year-old follows in the footsteps of a string of maître chefs who have headed the kitchen since its opening in the Strand, London in 1889. Auguste Escoffier — dubbed ‘chef of kings’ — was installed by hotel manager César Ritz when the Savoy first opened. Since then, a number of well-known chefs have followed, including Marcus Wareing and Andy Cook — but never a woman Ms Woodward, who lives in Camden, said: ‘It is an absolute honour for me to be the head chef here in one of London’s most iconic restaurants. Obviously there is so much history here, and the people who come through the door come here for the classic dishes that the Grill is famous for. ’ At the five-star, art deco Grill, which is now part of the Gordon Ramsay stable, Woodward will head a team of about 35 chefs, of whom some 40 per cent are women. It marks her return to the venue — she was a sous chef between 2010 and 2012, before becoming head chef at the York & Albany gastropub in Camden.

She reached the semi-final of the 2011 series of MasterChef: The Professionals. The Cheshire-born chef said she would continue the ‘ masculine” culinary traditions established by Escoffier, including a daily roast trolley, and classics such as Beef Wellington and Dover sole. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share It was more important to keep the Grill true to its traditions of “great quality cuts of meat and fish” rather than regain the Michelin star lost when it closed for refurbishment in 2007, she said, adding: ‘People are here because it is a classic grill.’ As well as powerful men, the Savoy Grill has been a magnet to some of the world’s most famous women including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day and Victoria Beckham. It was also where Vivien Leigh met her future husband Laurence Olivier. Heritage: But the Materchef contestant has promised to continue the 'masculine' traditions of five-star Grill Escoffier created a number of famous dishes at the Savoy, including Peach Melba in 1893, in honour of Australian singer Nellie Melba, and Melba Toast in 1897.

Another signature dish, Omelette Arnold Bennett, was created for the novelist and is still on the menu. Ms Woodward said she hoped to bring her own trademarks to the Grill, including a tonka bean and strawberry millefeuille dessert.

Question: Which chef created Melba toast and Peach Melba at the Savoy in London?
Answer: Auguste Escoffier